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Multiple-Meaning Words

A multiple-meaning word is spelled and said the same way but means different things: a bat flies at night, and you hit a ball with a bat. Context is the only clue, which is why these words are such good reading practice.

Here are 116 multiple-meaning words from past ClueBy puzzles, each with a real example sentence for every meaning. Use them as a reference, or make a printable worksheet below.

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Students read each sentence and write the missing word. Every word appears in several sentences, each time with a different meaning.

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Multiple-Meaning Words

Name: ____________________Date: __________

Write the missing word in each sentence. Each word is used more than once, with a different meaning each time.

  1. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  2. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  3. The cuffs of his ________________ jacket are badly frayed.
  4. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  5. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  6. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  7. How do you ________________ your surname?
  8. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  9. When will it ________________ you to start?
  10. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  11. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  12. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  13. David sat on the ________________.
  14. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  15. The ________________ market has crashed.
  16. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  17. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  18. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  19. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  20. Positive actions can inspire others to follow ________________.
  21. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  22. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  23. That was a fun ________________.
  24. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.

Sentences from ClueBy, Tatoeba (CC BY 2.0 FR) and Common Voice (CC0). clueby.com

Answer key

  1. swing — in golf
  2. spell — a short time
  3. suit — clothes
  4. straw — to clutch at straws
  5. stock — goods
  6. drill — a practice
  7. spell — letters
  8. straw — dry grass
  9. suit — to fit
  10. prune — to trim
  11. swing — music
  12. drill — army training
  13. swing — to play on
  14. stock — a soup base
  15. stock — shares
  16. game — a kind of play
  17. prune — to trim
  18. straw — a straw man
  19. drill — the tool
  20. suit — in cards
  21. prune — the fruit
  22. spell — magic
  23. game — a match
  24. game — wild animals

Multiple-meaning words list

Tick up to 10 words to build a worksheet with just those words.

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Frequently asked questions

What are multiple-meaning words?

Words with the same spelling and pronunciation but more than one meaning, like bark (of a dog or of a tree) or bank (for money or of a river). You can only tell which meaning is meant from the rest of the sentence.

Are multiple-meaning words the same as homonyms?

Mostly, yes. Teachers often use "multiple-meaning words" and "homonyms" for the same idea. Homophones are different: they sound alike but are spelled differently, like flour and flower.

Are the worksheets free?

Yes. Make and print as many as you like for home or classroom use. Each sheet has its own link, so you can print the same one again.

Where do the words come from?

From past ClueBy puzzles, a daily game where you sort twelve sentences by their missing word. A new puzzle every day adds four more words to this list.

Sentences from ClueBy, Tatoeba (CC BY 2.0 FR) and Common Voice (CC0). clueby.com